Pool Noodle Hobby Horse

Giddyup! It's time for a recycled rodeo! Using an old pool noodle, you can construct the horse of your dreams. Whether it's a bucking bronco or a knight's shining steed, let your imagination run wild with our Pool Noodle Hobby Horse!

You Will Need ...

Pool noodle, at least 14" long

Stick (dowel, broomstick, mop handle all work great)

Duct tape (any colors you want, but solid colors like white, black, and brown work best for a "realistic" looking horse)

Measure about 14-15" inches on your pool noodle. Mark the end with your permanent marker, and use your knife to cut the noodle to the correct length. Remember, only adults should handle knives!

Step 2:

Measure the center of your pool noodle and mark it with your marker. (For example, if your noodle is 14" long, you'll want to mark your noodle at 7".) On either side of that center mark, measure another 1.5" on either side and mark those as well. Using your knife, cut a "V" shape out of your noodle. You should start each cut at the side marks, and angle the knife inward so that the cuts meet below your center mark.

Step 3:

The purpose of cutting out this notch is to make it easier to fold your pool noodle in half! Fold your noodle into an "L" shape with the cut-out notch on the inside. Take a few strips of duct tape and secure the noodle into its folded shape.

Step 4:

Taking more duct tape, cover the entire noodle with the tape color of your choice.

Step 5:

Keep going until the entire "head" and "neck" are covered, except for the bottom of your "neck" -- you'll need the hole exposed to fit your stick in later!

Step 6:

For ears, make a piece of "duct tape fabric" and cut out two teardrop shapes. If you want to get fancy, you can add pink or red tape to the inside of the ear to make your ears look more realistic. (If you need a refresher on duct tape fabric, check out our tutorial here.)

Step 7:

Pinch the bottom of your ears and tape the pinched sides together with a small strip of tape to give your ears a three-dimensional look. Duct tape your ears to the side of your horse's head.

Step 8:

Using either glue dots or your hot glue gun (and the help of an adult!), glue two googly eyes onto your horse's head. You can also make a bridle by wrapping some of your ribbon around the horse's nose. You can either glue the circle of ribbon down (as shown in the picture), or tie the ribbon on the underside of the nose and loop the remaining pieces behind the horse's neck, then tying them together to form reins. If you have glued on a circle of ribbon to the nose, take another piece of ribbon and glue the ends to that circle to form your reins.

Step 9:

For a flowing mane, you'll need your yarn! Make a loop of yarn about two feet long, then keep looping more and more ribbon around. Cut the ends of your loops to break your yarn up into a bunch of individual, same-length pieces.

Step 10:

Using a separate piece of yarn, tie your strands into a bundle.

Step 11:

You can tie your bundle in the center, or toward the end of your strands so that you have a short side and a long side. Just be sure to tie your yarn tight!

Step 12:

Hot glue your "ponytail" of yarn onto your horse's head. It's best to place the glue on the horse's head first, then press the knotted part of your "ponytail" onto it. Be sure that an adult does this part, as hot glue can seep through the yarn and get onto your fingers!

Step 13:

Now that your horse's head is done, take some time to decorate your stick however you like! I love using duct tape. When wrapped around at an angle, you get a really cool barbershop pole look!

Step 14:

Insert the stick into the hole in the "neck" of your horse. If the stick is too narrow, you can always wrap duct tape around the end to give it more girth.

Step 15:

Yee-haw! You and your hobby horse are ready to ride off into the sunset!

Age:

School-age

Tween

Teen

Craft Length:

30 - 60 minutes

Difficulty:

Use your noodle! (challenging; focus required)

Prep Time:

5 - 10 minutes

Recycled:

Fodder

Supervision:

1 adult per 2 children

Variations:

1. You can wrap a piece of duct tape into a long cone shape, and attach it to your horse's forehead to create a unicorn!